Tag Archives: trend

One of my favourite trends these days is animal motifs which takes “animal print” to a whole new and delightful level. This of course appeals to me as a biologist and serious animal lover! I find it sort of funny the way different animals seem to be in style each season or year, because to me, they are all pretty awesome. Previously birds and cats were all the rage (both of which appear to maintain some appeal), and for this season butterflies and horses seem to be the latest thing.

This post is the first in a series and I’ll start with butterflies for those of you who want to be at the forefront of the latest trends 😉 plus it puts me in the mood for spring!

Butterflies

Butterflies are easy. They are actually a recurrent staple though most of the last few decades and it is a snap to find gorgeous vintage prints. The best thing about going vintage for the butterfly trend is that you can get very unique pieces made from high quality and artistic patterned fabric. You can get skirts, dresses and tops quite easily.

Here are a few beautiful options on Etsy:

For something a little different but so beautiful and organic, look for butterfly wing prints:

& try going for large butterflies for a truly striking look:

* get 10% off this dress ⬆ or any other items at jdbok with this code: JDBOK10 !!

Finally, there is always the quintessential sequined butterfly top of the 70s to 80s. There are so many of these available on Etsy, you can find them in any colour! These things are all the rage and have been selling like hotcakes these days at La Gaillard. Be sure to get a vintage one… there are many newer versions out there and the quality does not compare. Look for ones made of silk and in India. Here are a couple to show you what I am talking about:

Last but never least, butterfly accessories are also tons of fun. Pins for example allow you to go butterfly with anything that you already have… I suggest wearing a couple at once for an instant flock!

Stripes have a reputation. Horizontal stripes in particular have long been blamed for having a widening effect. Which is why, I hypothesize, that they have been relegated to socks with such popularity. These days though, there are a lot of great stripe variations that are really nice and wearable.

However, there is one particular fool-proof solution: the chevron stripe! Just like the road sign, this means stripes in a V-shaped pattern. There are some variations to the chevron stripe. One that is fairly popular for home decor right now is the zig zag stripe but I am not a big fan of this one for fashion items:

Rather, I recommend going with the ones that are a single “⋁ ” down the middle, either with two colours, a selection of colours or a gradation of the same colour; the stripes can be the same thickness or vary in that as well:

Today, many fabrics and knits are made with chevron striping already. However, a chevron can easily be acheived by sewing striped materiel together on the diagonal which is how the many of vintage pieces were made. This requires some degree of care as you must match up the stripes, which necessitates the kind of dedication that many manufacturers no longer bother with.

You can find chevron pieces from many decades however, it is really a style that is associated with the 1970s. It must have been a pretty major fashion trend back then because you can find so many pieces from this decade, including most of the examples that I feature here. Perhaps because of this, the 70s is the decade that does the the chevron best and provides the most beautiful examples.

The direction of the chevron can be either right side up (⋁) which most pieces are, or it can be upside down (⋀). Here are a few examples available on Etsy that demonstrate how these two versions can look:

Right side up (⋁)

Upside down (⋁)

While we are on the subject of direction, my absolute favourite chevron pieces are the dresses that have both directions. So, the top is an upside down ⋀ and the bottom is a right side up ⋁, and a diamond is created at the waist. You can find these from time to time in 70s dresses but they are not that common… so if you find one that fits, grab it! Here are a couple of classic example:

The reverse is even rarer and can be pretty amazing, this dress on Etsy being an incredible example!

You can also find some dresses where the skirt is a chevron but the bodice is horizontal or vertical. In some ways I suppose this can widen the chest and slim down the hips if that is the sort of effect that you are looking for.

From all of these examples, you can really see that the chevron was a staple in skirts during the 70s. But I also really love it for shirts and the top part of dresses. It can be a really flattering look!

The chevron did prevail for a while during the 80s for tops as well and you do start to see some examples from then, especially in the bat-wing armed sweaters that spanned the late 70s into the 80s.

Before I move on from peplums for quite a while, here is just one last post. While I am on the subject of peplums, and on the subject of detachable fashion items, I figure I can’t move on until I talk about the detachable peplum! Unlike detachable collars, these are not trending right now. However, In my opinion they should be. I found one in a vintage shop a few years ago and I am converted.

Historically, like the detachable collar, a detacheable peplum was included in some patterns so that you could make to spice up your secretary skirt or day dress. Similar to the detachable collar, these added versatility to one’s wardrobe and stemmed from the economy in the 30s to 50s, lending variety with less fabric. Similar to other accessories, you could match your detachable peplum to the colour of your dress to make it appear attached, or you could contrast it with another colour or texture1. Various fabrics were used including fancier materiel such as lace, organza, velvet or taffeta which would dress up one’s outfit as well1.

Today of course I would recommend a funkier way to wear one of these than shown in these old patterns, particularly that apron-like one. Especially never wear one like a cape! That kind of modesty is not likely to make a come back any time soon.

Though I’m advocating giving the detachable peplum a new life in this post I actually found one amazing set from the 60s in the style of the patterns above on Etsy, and there is always a place for beautiful classics in your wardrobe such as this one!

You can still match or miss-match them to your outfit, but I like a more casual use for the detachable peplum and I particularly love it paired with jeans. If you match it to what you are wearing, then you will have an instant peplum top or dress and can mimic that look really well. If you don’t then it will look more like an accessory, and will be really original. Here are a few ideas of how to go about the latter.

Vintage detachable peplums are really hard to find. I have found a few on Etsy listed below all of which are from the 80s, many of which are made to go with a matching dress, which I hadn’t realized was “a thing” during this decade too. These would be fun pieces to get because you could wear them together, or take the peplum only and wear it mismatched as in the pics above. If you are interested in keeping an eye out for them, search for “peplum belt” as well.

Luckily, I am not the only one who thinks detachable peplums are the cat’s meow and there are several hand-made pieces on Etsy. These are some of my favourites:

You could really get a fun little DIY project going to make one of these. When I have a little more time, I’ll blog one, so stay tuned!

Many designers are doing peplums today, and now it’s not hard to find a peplum top or dress in a fast fashion shop. However, it is always more fun to wear an original! Have a look at my last post, The Peplum Through History to see how they have developed in modern times. After this journey back through time, you are probably now wondering how in the world you can pull off a vintage peplum piece for this trend? But, it’s easy!

First, a few notes about cut. Indeed you will probably want to try a few types of peplums to figure out what looks best on your shape. For example, a short (~1 foot) very ruffled peplum would look better on narrower hips1, while a flatter uneven or gathered peplum may highlight curvier ladies. What is fun about the peplum is that, if you have hips and a waist it accentuates them, and if you don’t, it gives you them! Some people say that not everyone can pull off a peplum, but to them I say pshaw. A little trial and error may simply be required to find the perfect one for you. Or, to heck with that in general and wear whatever you like!

In choosing pieces from the 30s and 40s, avoid those with the longer peplums, these are pretty frumpy. This piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, beautiful as it is, is a perfect case in point:

Uneven or gathered peplums are especially lovely. Below are few examples of highly wearable and beautiful pieces from the 30s and 40s that you can get on Etsy, and I have a few more posted in my treasury, Wearable Peplums From the 30s and 40s.

Though I mentioned in my last post that the peplum largely disappeared between the 40a and 80s, it did pop up now and again. If you dig the prairie style dresses from the 60s, which are really poplular these days, my absolute favorite versions are the ones with peplums! Here are a couple lovely examples on Etsy:

One must tread carefully if one plans to wear an 80s peplum since some of them are just too far out. But that said, there are many awesome examples, mainly in party dresses. Here are a few from Etsy that I really love and check my treasure Wearable Peplums of the 80s for more.

Simple peplum jackets are amazingly beautiful too, particularly those made of wool or pared with a matching skirt. The more subtle versions have in fact been around rather constantly throughout time. Buying one of these is a great investment because it is classic, and you would likely wear it for the rest of your life. These are good examples of what I am talking about. They aren’t easy to find, so if you do see one, and it fits, go for it!

There is another quick way to get the instant peplum look… with a detachable peplum! Have a look at my next post to see how.

I have so much to say about peplums that this is going to be a two part post. This first one introduces the peplum and its journey through time.

Peplum is a word that, along with the fashion has gone largely underground for 70 years with only a brief resurfacing in the 1980s. However, it has been slowly making a comeback on the runways over the last few years, and this season it is really here with a vengeance.

First off, if you have never heard of it, you’ll be wanting a definition. A peplum is basically an over skirt, that is usually attached to another garment such as a jacket, blouse, skirt or dress. Its main purpose was essentially to highlight the mini waist by accentuating the hips.

These types of adornments stem from the embellished dresses of the 1800s and beyond. There are many examples at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (p.s. their website is simply amazing!).

The next big break for the peplum was in the 30s and 40s where it was a staple attached to dresses and jackets. There were many variations from long to short, even and uneven and a look at old pattern designs can give you a nice idea of their range. You can also see where todays inspirations come from out of this fashion era.

In reality these designs translate into pieces such as the ones just below, which are also part of the collection at The Met.

In the 50s, the peplum was done to a degree as it faded out, but not in any major way, which is made obvious by the fact that it is hard to find 50s dresses with them nowadays. Most true peplums of this time were similar to those in the 40s so there is no reason to search out 50s peplum dresses. However there were also several peplum inspired embellishments to one side or in the back, and several gathered versions which are really unique and very fashionable. It was a time for out with the old and in with the new! Here are some examples that you can get on Etsy:

And again, here are some absolutely gorgeous examples from The Met (the one on the left is Dior and the other two are by Charles James):

The peplum resurfaced with force in the 1980s, particularly for party dresses and suits, with variations from your wildest dreams. Here are a few amazing examples on Etsy. By the way, you can own these, and I recommend it!

As I mentioned, peplums are everywhere now. Just open a fashion magazine or do a google search to see how these are being done today! What I love about taking a look back at them through time is that you can see where the inspirations come from, but also see what is new. These days, the peplum, as in the 80s, is important for party dresses, but similar to the 40s, it is also being done for day wear. I love how designers have taken it to a new complex level of geometrical, structured or floufy. Here are a few particularly spectacular examples:

Most trends these days are recycled. The fun thing about that is that you can look for vintage pieces that fit right in. Of course, you will also then be more unique and the quality will be incomparable. It is true though, that sometimes the original pieces are downright weird… you must be selective (but never be shy to select hilarity if you love it!).

There are a few of these trends out there right now and the one that I am going to write about today is the detachable collar. You have probably seen these by now, they seem to have hit the mainstream this season.

Though you may never have heard of such a thing, these are also borrowed from times past. Originally, the purpose of detachable collars, was versatility. Add a fancy crochet or lace collar to a day dress or sweater, and you can wear it for an evening out, and appear as though you have put on a whole other outfit! This was useful when times were tough, and appearances mattered.

In fact, many patterns were designed with detachable pieces, and you could make several versions of them to alter the look of your outfit with less fabric. Of course, it was not recommended to wear matching collar and cuffs at the same time, because they would “divide the interest” and make your outfit appear “spotty”1. You could make all kinds of these out of a wide range of fabrics such fancier ones like piqué, organdie and eyelet embroidered1. Otherwise solid coloured or printed silk, rayon crepe, taffeta or linen may also have been used; gingham and plaids being favorites for the patterns1. In every case, the collar was made to fit the neckline perfectly, so that it appeared to be part of the top1. Another way to achieve the same idea was to wear a dickey1, but sorry folks, that will never be in style again!

Today, the detachable collar has a different use. Really, it is worn as a necklace of sorts, and has become an accessory rather than a necessity. And so, the wearer need not worry about its fitting perfectly around the collar of their shirt, but may revel in its stark detachability!

How to go vintage for this trend? I recommend the gorgeous beaded pieces from mid last century. These can be found in vintage shops if you are lucky, but there are loads available on Etsy for very reasonable prices ranging from 15-45$. The fun thing about these beaded collars is that they hit another current trend, the small rounded vintage-style collar. To be quite precise, these are known as “peter pan” collars1. To get the look, use your detachable collar in a more traditional fashion; you’ll need a high crew-neck shirt.

Here are some of my favourites from Etsy:

Crochet collars can also be really beautiful. Here though, you’ve got to be extra careful not to make it look granny. I suggest wearing it as a necklace again, with a low cut shirt so that it doesn’t overlap. Here are some lovely vintage ones on Etsy:

There are loads of hand made ones on Etsy too, often in more wearable styles with a wider variety of colours. Just search “crochet collar”! They may not be recycled, but they are hand made, and thats also good for the environment. I’m sure you could find some made from recycled wool too if you’re looking to be die hard, or, make one yourself if you know how.